'The Music of Strangers: Yo-Yo Ma & The Silk Road Ensemble' A Review

The Music of Strangers is a documentary about cellist Yo-Yo Ma and his creation of the diverse and eclectic Silk Road Ensemble. The film touches on Ma's early career and his eventual musical boredom which instigated the formation of the ambitious and experimental Silk Road Ensemble made up of a variety of international master musicians endeavoring to buck classical form and create a vibrant amalgamation of cultures and traditions. The film moves from Ma to spotlight four other ensemble members, each with their own complicated history and compelling perspective. These individual profiles are juxtaposed with concerts, benefits, and presentations provided by the Silk Road Ensemble all around the world.

It almost goes without saying that the music in the film is incredible. A wide variety of traditional and cultural instruments come together in a completely unique way, taking classic and international inspiration, creating something infectious and inspiring. The stories of the musicians themselves are equally inspiring although with more heartbreak. It is astonishing in the face of personal and global tragedy that these individuals preserver and continue to change hearts and minds with their music.

To quote one of the ensemble members "Experimentation leads to possibility. Possibility leads to hope." And in this world of ours hope is in short supply.

Great for artists of any discipline or those in need of rejuvenation.

See It.

Adulthood

No one tells you what it is
or how to do it
after an amount
of nebulous time
it is just expected
No one tells you
how to improve your credit score
budget
achieve financial stability
No one tells you
how to build a career
grieve
start a family
or even
deal with small scale
adversity
it is expected
as Adults
we simply know.

Responsibility
can be a burden
especially when
it is unclear
But maturity
offers avenues
of satisfaction
unknown
to the wide-eyed teen:
Friendship
deep and lasting
Love
based in equality
Achievement
out of struggle
Purpose
born of burdens
willingly shouldered
and Joy
in possibility.

Thoughts On Another Year

During dark times life can seem like a series of if onlys. If only I had a better job, more money, recognition, opportunity, on and on. The idea that some achievement, some success, will be a solution. The reality is there is no magic button, no happy switch, no thing that will trigger a perfect life. Perfection isn't real, more importantly it isn't human.

Today I turned 32 and naturally its a time to reflect on the past year. I had a number of goals I set out to accomplish which, by and large, I did. But not without some compromises and sacrifices. This time last year I was about to be laid off and I wanted to take two months off to relax, recharge, and write. I did that and although there were times of boredom and ennui it was mostly great. Before I started a new job Nicole and I went on a motorcycle trip to the Badlands. It was an incredible experience, something I had wanted to do for years, but due to late September weather being what it is it was at times trying.

The new job I got and have had the past 9 months has been mostly good, a small office with friendly co-workers, decent pay, but with a sometimes frustrating lack of structure and clarity in the day-to-day operations. We'll see where it goes in the next couple months, it continues to be a work in progress.

I applied to grad schools in poetry. Something I had been thinking and talking about for a while. I didn't get accepted to any of them. A disappointment but not really a surprise. I wanted to put myself out there and see what kind of response I would get, I wanted to take the action and I did. Even though the answer was no it feels good to have done it, its not something I will think about or regret later on. The way the process played out though put a strain on Nicole and I's relationship.

Around my birthday last year we were about to put up "My Two Sons" which had a great run, it got reviewed which was one of my big goals for the show. In November I had the idea for "Blockbuster" and the process of working on it has been incredibly gratifying, but there has been a couple delays and postponements, due to simple confusion and scheduling- no ones fault, but even so that has drawn out the process in a somewhat frustrating way. The first preview for the show is this Friday and I couldn't be more excited for people to see it.

I recorded and started putting out my podcast this year with a new much more effective format although it seems not as many people are listening to it. This at first was a little disappointing but after thinking about it the important thing is the making of the thing, and sure it'd be great if a lot of people listened to it but ultimately the satisfaction is in the creating itself not in whatever hollow validation the internet could provide.

I've kept in touch and visited with my three oldest friends HP, Beanpole, and Adam as often as I could although not as often as I'd like. It seems like there's never enough time, never enough vacations, to see the important people in my life. Same goes for my parents and my sister who is expecting her first child in the next couple weeks. We've spent a good amount of time together and I'm overjoyed to become an uncle but life seems to move so fast its sometimes hard to find the necessary time.

Nicole and I are about to celebrate our three year anniversary and we renewed our lease for another year. There have been some challenges this year, mostly I think, stemming from not communicating as clearly or as often as we should have. This is only natural I think, times you have to work through, periods of passive detachment where you are going through the motions. To maintain a relationship, to keep it healthy and fruitful, you have to work at it and we let things lie for a while. Not to say it was bad or even contentious or that we didn't have a lot of fun this past year, we did. But the past couple months we haven't been on the same page, not detrimental in and of itself, but there's been distance and our partnership hasn't really moved forward. We had a discussion tonight that was difficult but ultimately got us out of the funk we've been in, its cathartic to get whatever anxiety may be lurking out in the open, it creates a clear path ahead.

This is all to say taken in total it has been a good year. Its felt like progress. Ultimately there were more successes than failures, more triumphs than defeats, more joys than disappointments. I did my best to navigate problems with patience and understanding. I wasn't always able to but I tried and that's growth. I still get angry, I still get discontent, but as time goes on those feelings become more manageable, more fleeting. And through continued practice I find it easier to be kind, to practice patience and honesty day-to-day.

This year taught me what I knew already, a lesson I continue to learn. To quote Stephen King "This is how we go on: one day at a time, one meal at a time, one pain at a time, one breath at a time." I need to pursue those things which bring me joy and show up for the ones I love. Happiness isn't easy it takes diligence and work. And there will be times when it is a struggle but even in those times the beauty and blessings of daily life are all around me if I only stop and recognize them.

'Tickled' A Review

Tickled is a documentary from New Zealand journalists David Farrier and Dylan Reeve about the online phenomenon of "endurance competitive tickling". Farrier a professed "fluff" journalist reaches out to Jane O'Brien Media a prominent purveyor of tickling videos for an interview and receives such a nasty, aggressive, homophobic response his curiosity is peeked and he begins to investigate. What is uncovered is not that these videos are thinly veiled fetish material(which is obvious) but that the tickling videos are but a means to control, manipulate, and shame its participants by one wealthy twisted individual.

The film is compelling however it isn't exactly cinematic, there are extended shots of offices and skylines where the only thing notable happening is Farrier's voiceover. There is also a knawing, although not unpleasant, sense of the obvious and inevitable as the movie goes on. From Jane O'Brien Media's initial email response to Farrier's first meeting with Kevin Clarke(some kind of executive) it is crystal clear that there is something very nefarious going on and the people Farrier encounters are terrified and hostile in equal measure. The marketing for Tickled purports astonishing twists however the story is relatively predictable, we've heard versions of it before many times. But what is interesting is the courage with which Farrier and Reeve continue on under perpetual harassment and legal threats. Their tenacious pursuit of the facts. The reveal of who is actually behind all this unarguably criminal behavior, again, is not surprising but outing that individual and exposing this tickling venture for what it is could make a powerful difference in young impressionable and/or desperate lives.

Great journalism, mild cinema. More appropriate for TV than the big screen.

Rent It.

Moon Haiku

Always she watches

gracious in her circling

Even when shadowed.

'The Wailing' A Review

The Wailing is a Korean horror/thriller about a small village Sargent Jong-Goo(Kwak Do-won) who begins investigating a mysterious and murderous sickness that begins effecting the populace. A Stranger(Jun Kunimura) who recently moved to the village shortly before the outbreak quickly becomes the focal point for suspicion. As more and more people are effected including Jong-Goo's own daughter Hyo-jin(Kim Hwan Hee) he becomes desperate and consults a Shaman(Hwang Jung-min).

Do-won as the lead puts in a good performance transforming from what starts off as essentially buffoonish physical comedy to pained paternal resolve and sorrow. His family and co-workers all put in decent performances balancing the dark mood with numerous moments of surprising levity. Kunimura as the Stranger and Chun Woo-hee as the Mysterious Woman struggle as the supernatural personifications in the film. The film seems more concerned with red herrings and obfuscation which prevent both Kunimura and Woo-hee for really embracing their actual characters. Jung-min as the Shaman has a remarkable entrance and an incredible exorcism scene, one of the best scenes of the year, but he is introduced so late and his motivation becomes so quickly muddled much of his potential is wasted.

The narrative hums along with tension and mystery for about two-thirds of its bloated 156 minute running time but then flounders in a swamp of "twists", character indecision, and poorly executed obfuscation. The film makes it abundantly clear who the villain is, then tries to inject doubt, but then it ends up being exactly what you were lead to believe initially. The film jerks around its audience without discernible reason or payoff. There are some incredibly striking visuals and an impactful score but towards the end the repetition and lack of clarity prevent the film from capitalizing on its many compelling elements.

A great film within one that is simply passable.

Rent It.

Hindsight Hour: Relationships 3

Romantic minutia and crisis. The first couplet of scenes explores scheduling/planning within a LTR. The second couplet looks at problematic birth control and how a pregnancy scare can escalate.

Directed by Tim Joyce
Improvised by Damian Anaya, Mike Brunlieb, Laurel Krabacher, Rosie Moan, Steve Nelson, Jimmy Pennington, Meaghan Strickland and Andel Sudik

Perhaps

Perhaps there is no magic left.
Perhaps the world is all flat mundanity punctuated by sharp cruelties.
Perhaps tomorrow holds no surprises only banality and heartbreak.
But perhaps not.
Perhaps there is pleasure in the cool night breeze.
Perhaps there is joy in a shared meal and good conversation.
Perhaps art and literature hold the power to enliven us.
Perhaps stories can impart that delicious shivering chill that ignites us.
Perhaps romance stirs up boldness and generosity.
Perhaps the love of friends and family can provide a deep and unwavering sense of belonging.
Perhaps kindness, however small or inconsequential, is every where around us were we to but look.
Perhaps we are not alone. Despite the pain, despite the bore. Perhaps we are part of some universally connected life force called humanity which we can find solace in and courage from because despite the ugliness of the world there is much more beauty and valor and compassion if we can only hold on to it. Perhaps hope is not something to be inspired in us but something that is preexisting that we must nurture and cultivate and share.
Perhaps.

Heat Stroke

Some years ago
in and around
Rockford's historic
Midway Village
I attended
boy scout camp
a fleeting interest
I eventually abandoned
but during that summer
I was inspired
in my pursuit of badges
hamstrung only by
the momentous heat wave
sweeping the middle west.

On one hike
through the open
and unforgiving prairie
a nausea and foreign
disorientation
took hold
of my nine-year-old frame
as if my consciousness
was being boiled away
and the bright and blinding sun
whited out my vision
and for a time
I knew nothing.

My eyes opened
to a much softer white
the inside
of the first-aid tent
with a damp cloth
on my brow
I looked up
and saw my mother's worried face
as she reached down to touch my cheek
with her soft and cool hands
and I knew a deep a mystic comfort.

'Warcraft' A Review

Warcraft is a fantasy movie based on the popular video game. Orc world Draenor is dying and under the leadership of corrupt sorcerer Gul'dan(Daniel Wu) the Orc horde is poised to invade lush Azeroth through a portal. Orc chieftain Durotan(Toby Kebbell) has doubts as he believes the evil fel magic is perverting his race. Human warrior Lothar(Travis Fimmel) gets wind of the invasion and along with mage flunky Khadgar(Ben Schnetzer) sets about mounting a defense.

The motion capture performances of the orcs are across the board incredible, with emotional subtleties heretofore unseen in CGI. Unfortunately the human actors don't fair as well. Fimmel as Lothar is basically a watered down version of his Vikings character who repeatedly reaches for jokes that fall flat more often than they land. Schnetzer as one of the handful of heroes is bland and distractingly modern given the film around him. Paula Patton as half-orc Garona struggles a bit with the script and prosthetic teeth but overall is decent. Ben Foster is a highlight as weary wizard Medivh who gives an appropriately over-the-top almost Cageian turn.

Unarguably visually stunning Warcraft has a lot to offer. It is grand and sweeping, with action and magic aplenty. The story isn't necessarily as strong. There is a lot of seemingly unnecessary exposition, the bloated cast makes it difficult to develop any of them individually, and the ending is only somewhat satisfying- a clear set up for a sequel. That all being said the movie is more success than failure, the attempt was entertaining even admirable, and its faults(shared with many other blockbuster franchise launchers) are negligible.

An enjoyable summer popcorn fantasy somewhat narratively lacking.

Rent It.

Street Talk 26

Outside smoking. Two brothers exit the corner bodega after getting an afternoon snack. The younger, 3 or 4, is babbling contently. The older, 11 or 12, listens amused with a half smile on his face as he struggles with opening a candy bar. 

Younger Brother: Is that your truck?
Me: (surprised) No. It's a, it's a church van.
Older Brother: (grins) He loves trucks.
Me: (grins back)
Younger Brother: I do too!
Older Brother: (shrugs)

They walk off and the kid continues to talk excitedly and his brother continues to patiently listen. Two kids on a beautiful spring afternoon going home with a sweet treat. 

Yes. The world can be cruel. There are tragedies, injustices, and enraging things happening every day. It can be frustrating and heartbreaking. But there is also love and kindness. There is also joy. As long as you keep yourself open to it.

Ode To The Motorcycle

We are often shackled by our obligations
working hours
leases, mortgages
cleaning, laundry
grocery shopping
and although we may do
what we want
more often than not
there is rarely
a freedom
as pure and clear
as riding
a motorcycle.

The machine
like some
rediscovered
phantom limb-
satisfies an unknown longing
fills a nameless void.
The delicate dance
of clutch, throttle
break and shifter
as graceful and intuitive
as a feral feline on the hunt.
The world opens up
so broad and welcoming
you can almost hear
the beatific blessings of
Mother Nature
and the little gods of road, truck stop, and rambling.
Scent more sharp and potent,
wind so forceful
its presense almost has
a companionable solidity,
and the responsive rush of power
as the engine roars is like
a joyous cry
that rips out hot and eager
into the feckless dark.

Hindsight Hour: Family 3

A look at familial worry and expectation. The first couplet of scenes delves into sibling concern, the second investigates that tension familiar to a certain generation- parental marriage pressure.


Directed by Tim Joyce
Improvised by Damian Anaya, Mike Brunlieb, Sarah Cowdery, Laurel Krabacher, Rosie Moan, Jimmy Pennington, Meaghan Strickland and Andel Sudik

'Weiner' A Review

Weiner is a political documentary about the 2013 NYC mayoral campaign of Anthony Weiner. The film opens on, and subsequently periodically cuts to, a confessional-style interview with Weiner. He sets up his 2013 campaign which the film cuts to and spends the majority of its running time following. It utilizes archival footage and the Weiner interview to flush out the broader context but the majority of the film is fly-on-the-footage following Weiner around while he campaigns.

The film freely acknowledges Weiner's reprehensible proclivities and although the exact motive for those behaviors aren't explicitly explored they are directly addressed and Weiner comes across contrite, embarrassed, and somewhat baffled by his own behavior. The real power and interest in the film is the full view we get of Weiner, his wife Huma, the doomed promise of the campaign, and of Weiner's wasted potential as an effective democrat.

Never excusing his behavior the film provides context, never shirking Weiner's ultimate responsibility, the film does elucidate the medias role in escalating and doggedly hammering the scandal. We see interviews where Weiner repeatedly apologizes, he addresses the scandal in almost every public appearance, but when he then attempts to move on to a discussion of the issues he is prevented by journalists constant reiteration and repetition of the scandal. The film also takes an unwavering look at how it effects his family and his staff. It's shocking at times how direct and personal the people are being, surprisingly that these both politically and emotionally sensitive moments were allowed to be recorded.

What emerges is not redemption but a full picture of an unfortunate circumstance. The film shows the people involved as three-dimensional humans, provides context and depth to a situation reduced to a salacious one-liner.

Funny and fascinating, the best campaign documentary since The War Room.

See It.

'Love & Friendship' A Review

Love & Friendship is a period comedy based on a Jane Austen novella. Widow Lady Susan Vernon(Kate Beckinsale) and her daughter Frederica(Morfydd Clark) have to hastily leave the home of Lord Manwaring due to implied scandal and land at the estate of their in-laws Charles and Catherine. Lady Susan sets out to secure her and her daughters future by prospecting rich bachelors.

Beckinsale gives one of the best performances of her career- quick, alluring, commanding, and incredibly funny. She is mesmerizing as this 18th century empowered uncompromising almost Machiavellian widow. The supporting cast is engaging and are serviceable foils for Beckinsale with two notable exceptions. Chloë Sevigny as Lady Susan's confidant Alicia seems a bit out of place, striking a somewhat odd contrast to the other cast members, not exactly distracting but somewhat detracting. Tom Bennett as Sir James the would-be suitor of Frederica is hilarious, taking idiocy to almost poetic levels. His stumbling monologues and good-natured but disturbingly ill-conceived attempts at simple socializing are riotous. Second to Beckinsale Bennett is a clear stand out.

The film has all the trappings of the period but visually lacks luster. Another installment from Amazon Studios that feels a bit underfunded or at least made with the small screen in mind. The costumes are incredible but the cinematography doesn't have the lushness or sharpness that typically bring a level of engagement to period films of this type. Based on a novella the narrative starts strong but concludes with a bit of a whimper, slightly unclear and lacking the kind of definitive resolution that a character as strong as Lady Susan warrants.

Enjoyable and very funny but with an overall scope that reflects its $3 million budget.

Rent It.

A Parable About Obligation

There once was a woman who lived in the village of the singers.
They sang in the sun.
They sang out the day.
They sang in births.
They sang out deaths.
It was a happy village, productive and joyous.
The woman was one of the most beautiful singers in the village.
She was respected and a vibrant member of the community.
One day word came from the neighboring village of the silent.
The woman's parents had died.
The woman made the journey to the village where she was born to pay her respects.
As was custom the woman held vigil,
for three days and three nights in her parents house,
surrounded by her parents friends,
she sat in stuffy silence,
and all around her was but dour grief.
Her throat ached to sing.
But that was not the way in the village of the silent.
The three days and three nights passed.
Her parents mourned in accordance with tradition.
The woman left and returned to the village of the singers having done her duty.
She swore never to return.

Atrophy

Nightmarish
may be an
overused descriptor
for what event
can truly capture
the fluid terror
that comes to us
in troubled sleep
when sucking shadows
besiege our psyches
with such maligned fervor
when we lie
at our weakest
 and yet
there are times
when we find ourselves in situations
whose construct and conceit
could not be more trying
more painful
more testing
when our deepest fears
are splayed out
leering and jovial
in front of us
when our past
confronts us with toothy rapture
daring us to panic
or react with hostility
and gradually
after prologned discomfort
our vitality is drained
and all we can hope
is to endure.